Understandably, not everyone has the ability, opportunity, or interest to exercise because of reasons known to them. The good news is, if you’re on a weight loss journey, there’s something even more important than exercising, and that is your diet. But because diet is more important shouldn’t mean we wouldn’t pay attention to lifestyle. There are still some things you can do, regardless, to help you burn the weight you’re aiming for.
Lifestyle vs diet
When last did you take a walk just because you wanted to build resistance and strength? Or took the stairs instead of getting into an elevator? When last did you choose your health over that piece of chocolate?
Our main goal is to lose weight, and yet, we wonder why we haven’t been seeing a difference in our physicalities. The littlest things we consume can determine either a lasting goal or an achievement of that goal. Our diet allegedly contributes to about 75%-80% percent of our weight loss or fitness goals. This is because it contributes to our daily energy intake. Energy intake means calorie intake.
Yes, you can just burn it off through exercise. But daily activities account for only about 15% to 30% of our daily energy expenditure, meaning calories burned. With this, it’s safe to say that we burn less than we consume on a daily basis. To lose weight, we need our energy expenditure to be more than our energy intake. This means we have to burn more than we consume. And what better way to do that than to eat food that contains fewer calories and is healthier in general for your body and wellbeing? Even though physical exercise increases the number of calories you burn per day, your diet is still the most important part of the process.
The right way
If so, then exercising till your legs are just about to fall off, and you feeling a budding migraine isn’t the best option for you in your weight loss journey. Try opting for long-term fitness or weight loss goals. Unless you decide to starve yourself, there is no way you’ll drop that many pounds in a month, without gaining it back. If you don’t control the underlying cause of weight gain, meaning excess food or unhealthy food consumption, your efforts might be in vain. You might find yourself yo-yoing between losing weight and gaining it all back.
Instead, opt for subtle lifestyle changes like increased daily activities, or aim for fitness goals like increased endurance, strength or flexibility instead of weight loss in itself. Think of your health and fitness not as a short-term activity but a lifestyle option. Imagine working out because you enjoy working out. It takes the pressure and stress off. Stress can contribute to your lack of weight loss. So be careful with that.